What are you reading the week of December 30, 2017?

I hope everyone had a merry Christmas, and my best wishes to you all for the coming year!

I'm sampling from various books right now. Mostly it's because I'm doing a lot of technical reading at the moment. I think my next dedicated read is going to be The Harvest of Sorrow: Soviet Collectivization and the Terror-Famine by Robert Conquest. However now that I'm sitting here, I believe that the next Inspector Montalbano book is supposed to arrive with the new year. I'll probably set everything aside to read that when it arrives.

Hallo Fred, thanks for cranking the awning up on a new week.

Other Minds will be my first review of the year. An interesting look at cephalopod intelligence by a trained philosopher.

I'm reading Othello by William Shakespeare in the morning and Leviathan Wakes by James S. A. Corey at night. If I finish both by tomorrow I'll reach my 2017 reading goal!

Happy New Year!

Greetings all and, jumping the gun just a little, Happy New Year.

I've put Joan Didion's essay collection Slouching Towards Bethlehem into my "between book" rotation, reading the first entry, the harrowing "Some Dreamers of the Golden Dream," about a 1965 murder in San Bernardino County.

I'll soon begin the WW2 history, Dog Company: The Boys of Pointe Du Hoc - The Rangers Who Accomplished D-Day's Toughest Mission and Led the Way across Europe.

Still not reading Fortress in the Eye of Time. I seem to be stuck on thrillers/mysteries instead so I'm still reading The Good Daughter, The Naturalist, and Hidden Order.

I;m reading Sixpence House} -- its fun but not what I expected. I thought it was more about the bookshops and books associated with Hay-on-Wye, vs. one person's life which is extremely loosely tied to Hay. Still, a fast read and I'll close out 2017 with it.

Just reached my goal of 100 books for the year!! Mere minutes ago I finished All-of-a-kind family by Sydney Taylor, a classic children's book.

The one before that was The midnight line by Lee Child, the latest Jack Reacher thriller. I can't resist those.

>5 seitherin: Am curious to find out your thoughts on The Naturalist. It caught my interest when I read the blurb on Amazon. Looked like a hard science thriller with an original approach to the genre.

Finished The Good Daughter by Karin Slaughter and started Truthwitch by Susan Dennard.

I'm reading and absolutely loving A Gentleman in Moscow. I saw so many positive notes here by people who read it before me, so thank you to everyone who pointed me in the direction of this sublime novel.

Reading and enjoying The Woman in Cabin 10.

Finished Hidden Order by Brad Thor and started Provenance by Ann Leckie.

I'm reading Emily Wilson's translation of The Odyssey, Bella Poldark (the last in the Poldark series), and the second Sandman Omnibus.

Reading Cartoon County: My Father and His Friends in the Golden Age of Make-Believe by Cullen Murphy and am loving it.

Fred, thank you for handling this thread again! Happy New Year to all. Here's to another great year of reading!

I am Listen ing to The Caine Mutiny by Herman Wouk, and I am reading Remembrance of Things Past by Marcel Proust.

Still working on Running for Dummies. Maybe it will cause me to get off the couch.

Born a Crime – Trevor Noah
Book on CD performed by the author.
4****

Subtitle: Stories From a South African Childhood

Born under Apartheid in South Africa, Trevor Noah was born a crime. He had a white Swiss German father, and a black Xhosa mother, at a time when such a relationship was punishable by up to five years in prison. His early childhood years were spent being hidden behind walls so that the government would not take him. This is his memoir of growing up a “colored” boy in a black neighborhood, in a changing South Africa.

The narrative is not strictly in chronological order; at time he relates a story from his primary school days, then goes back to pre-school age. Or he’ll tell a tale of being about eighteen, and in the next episode he’s about eleven. Still the general arc of the story shows how he grew up and was influenced by his mother’s deep faith and insistence on his becoming self-sufficient. He was obviously intelligent, learning several languages, which helped him to fit in even when he did not necessarily “look” like the people he was around. He’s honest about his criminal activity – shop lifting, pirating music, hustling, etc. But also takes a hard look at the episodes that helped to shape him, the influences and decisions that ultimately saved him.

Noah narrated the audiobook himself. I cannot imagine anyone else doing a better job. 5***** for his performance on the audio.

The Winter Garden Mystery – Carola Dunn
Digital audiobook read by Bernadette Dunne
3***

Book number two in the Daisy Dalrymple series has our heroine traveling to Occles Hall to research her latest article for Town and Country on England’s country manor houses. Lady Valeria is none too pleased at this intrusion, but Daisy IS “to the manor born” so she is tolerated. Still, when Daisy asks to photograph the winter garden the last thing she expects to find is a body.

Daisy cannot help but get involved when she sees an injustice being carried out, so she convinces Alec Fletcher of Scotland Yard to investigate. There are a number of secrets being kept by the residents of the household and some are bound to come out in the process of getting at the truth of the murder.

This is a charming cozy mystery series set in the 1920s. Daisy is charming, inquisitive, intelligent and resourceful. She does sometimes plunge headlong into trouble, but on the whole, she is appropriately cautious and responsible. I also like her slow-burning relationship with Fletcher.

Bernadette Dunne does a fine job voicing the audio book. She has great pacing and enough skill as a voice artist to give the many characters sufficiently unique voices.

Happy New Year! Reading The Man in the Tree by Sage Walker. Of interest because it's a science fiction murder mystery. Quite a contrast to Miss Marple. And, so far a worthwhile pursuit!

I finally finished Kristen Lavransdatter. Took me almost 3 weeks but I did it. I reread this book some 30 or more years after the first time. I remembered its ambiance and that I thought it great. Most else I'd forgotten. I thoroughly enjoyed it and still thought it was great; a superb rendering of people, their natures and the lives they create for themselves. A tragic and encouraging tale all in one.

>19 Travis1259: Hey David! Happy New Year.

>20 snash: Her death scene...wow. Beautifully limned, memorable.

Happy New Year a few days late.

I finished A Gentleman in Moscow today - my first book for 2018 - and all other books are going to find it hard to follow. The book was very near perfection, the characters wonderfully created and developed, the Count my soulmate, the triumverate a group I will never forget. It is one of the best books I've ever read and it hurts to move on from it. It is a always a pleasure, though, to find books that not only live on in your memory but in your heart.

I'm going to try We Were the Mulvaneys next. I've never read J.C. Oates. I picked this up second hand a few months back and it's never seemed like the right time to pick it up until now. Hopefully it will not disappoint.

>22 ahef1963: In case you weren't aware, A Gentlemen in Moscow is supposed to have a second book coming. I've been waiting anxiously since I finished months ago. BTW, I would recommend the audio. I started reading in paper and had to return the book 1/3 through. Had an audio credit so bought the audio to complete it. Wonderful and you get all the Russian names correctly pronounced (one hopes) instead of mangled by yours truly.

>22 ahef1963:
Totally agree re AGIM. It was my # 1 book of 2017.

The Alchemist – Paulo Coehlo
Audiobook performed by Jeremy Irons
3***

This is Coehlo’s international best-selling classic tale of an Andalusian shepherd boy’s quest to find his own Personal Legend. Santiago is tending his sheep when he is puzzled by a recurring dream in which a boy says that there is hidden treasure at the Pyramids in Egypt. A gypsy woman offers to interpret the dream in exchange for a promise of one tenth the treasure. Santiago agrees, but feels no closer to a solution. The next day he encounters an old man, who says he is king of Salem, and tells him he must seek his own Personal Legend. And thus Santiago’s quest begins.

On his travels he also meets a thief, a crystal merchant, an alchemist, a desert woman, tribal chieftains, and a caravan leader, all of whom help – in some fashion or other – Santiago on his quest. But his ultimate discovery is that one’s treasure lies close to home.

This fable has captured the attention and imagination of a worldwide readership. And the story of how it came to be published, somewhat parallels the story told. The message is simplistic, even as the images are somewhat unrealistic, even fantastic. I can see why it became such a gigantic hit – it’s an allegorical fable about finding one’s true self, wrapped in an adventure and with a little romantic interest added for good measure, but it really didn’t do too much for me. I found it entertaining but not particularly inspiring.

Jeremy Irons does a magnificent job performing the audio version. He is a great actor and gives life to these characters. From the innocent boy, to the Crystal merchant and the Alchemist, each character comes to life with his performance. Irons’s performance was mesmerizing and engaging, but at the end I felt as if I had missed something. I think that is the fault of Coelho’s writing, though, not the narrator’s performance. I would rate the audio performance 5 stars.

The Birchbark House – Louise Erdrich
Book on CD narrated by Nicolle Littrell
4****

What Laura Ingalls Wilder did for the pioneer families in 19th century plains states, Erdrich has done for the Native Americans in this same time period.

Omakayas is a seven-year-old Ojibwa girl living in Michigan. She is the sole survivor of a small pox epidemic when she’s taken into another family as an infant. Tallow is a strong matriarch and Omakayas (also called Little Frog), thrives in the community on Lake Superior’s Madeline Island, also known as the Island of the Golden-Breasted Woodpecker. The book follows Omakayas, her family and the tribe through four seasons of 1847.

I was fascinated by this story of the life of the Native Americans during this time period. I learned about the hard work of tanning hides, the craft of decorating special garments with intricate beadwork, the cycles of hunting and gathering, and the dangers (and joys) of living so close to nature.

Omakayas is a wonderful narrator – inquisitive, observant, intelligent, and compassionate. She’s also a typical seven year old – sometimes a little naughty, and not always understanding the reasons why she is asked to perform certain tasks, or forbidden from other adventures. I can see why this is sometimes taught in social studies classes for middle-grade students.

Erdrich is a member of the Turtle Mountain Band of Ojibwa, and she spoke to various Ojibwa elders about the significance of Madeline Island. Events depicted are historically accurate (including a documented small pox epidemic). The text version includes Erdrich’s pencil drawing illustrations.

Nicolle Littrell does a fine job performing the audio version. She has good pacing and the book is clearly understandable for even younger readers.

Snow day today. That means I get to cuddle up with my cat and read. I'm currently reading Born Both by Hida Viloria about her life as an intersex person. I've also downloaded Andy Weir's new novel Artemis.

Cartoon County: My Father and His Friends in the Golden Age of Make-Believe
Cullen Murphy
4.5/5 stars
Somehow this book ended up on my hold shelf, I know I must have ordered it but had forgotten all about it. What a wonderful surprise this book was to me! I love comics and this was a look at a slice of life that is disappearing. Cullen Murphy, the author and comic strip artist; writes of the heydey of print comic strips and the artists that lived in Connecticut including his father, John Cullen Murphy who drew the Prince Valiant comic for a time. If you love comics or just a good book, I think you will enjoy this look back at the wonderful artists and the work they did.

Just started Best American Short Stories 2017. This is a series that I always enjoy leisurely picking my way through.

Enjoying "The Mistress of Paris" by Katherine Hewitt. From the front cover "The 19th Century Courtesan Who Built an Empire on a Secret."

I'm reading God Stalk for a group read, with Nicholas Nickleby on the horizon for another, while I finish Emily Wilson's translation of The Odyssey. The last Poldark was a good 'un.

29/jwrudn - I thought 2017 was one of the stronger compilations in the last few years. Enjoy!

I too am reading a short fiction anthology with New American Stories. Wow, so far, exceptional.

Reading You Don't Look Your Age ... and Other Fairy Tales
by Sheila Nevins. So-so so far!

Finished Barbara Pym's An Academic Question, a simple, easy, mildly humorous account of academic life in a small English university. Next up Boy, Snow, Bird.

I read my first Doctor Who novel today! Touched by an Angel, the Eleventh Doctor with the Ponds as Companions. The only Doctor Who antagonist I was ever scared by are the Weeping Angels and they're in full creep-out mode in this book. A good first-ever read.

I am still wading thru Epitaph by Mary Doria Russell

Just began Enigma by Robert Harris - I’ve been meaning to read one of his for a while. It’s about the WWII Bletchley code breakers and so far the writing has drawn me in. This is the author‘s first book (1995) and since he’s written so many historical novels since, I’d appreciate any recommendations.

Finished The Naturalist by Andrew Mayne. I enjoyed it, but I did have a hard time believing that every police official in Montana is an obtuse idiot. I'm not terribly familiar with predictive modeling and how it works to comment on that aspect of the book, but it certainly sounded plausible.

Finished Truthwitch by Susan Dennard. Enjoyed it. Like the magic system.

Next into my reading rotation is Only the Innocent by Rachel Abbott.

The new thread is up over here.

>37 NarratorLady: I'll catch you in the new thread.

Richard, I am so thrilled that you are back online. Missed you and hope for continued improvement. XX